1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spiraling apparatus suitable for applying reinforcement onto a work-piece, such as a hose or cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Machines that apply spiral wound reinforcement to a work-piece, such as a hose or cable, typically include a number of reinforcement supply bobbins. Each bobbin includes reinforcement, such as textile or wire, which is wound onto the supply bobbin from a supply of bulk reinforcement provided by the reinforcement manufacturer. While spiral machines of the type described above have been used effectively, the use of conventional spiral machine supply bobbins is generally inefficient. Among other inefficiencies, a hose or cable manufacturer must purchase auxiliary reinforcement winding equipment to transfer the bulk reinforcement to the spiral machine's supply bobbins, in addition to purchasing the spiraling machine itself. Furthermore, the relatively small capacity supply bobbins, particularly when compared to the capacity of bulk reinforcement spools, force the hose or cable manufacturer to frequently reload the spiral machine with fresh supply bobbins-an exercise that greatly increases spiral machine downtime or inefficiency. For at least these reasons, there is a need for improved spiraling apparatus that reduce, among other things, machine downtime associated with the use of conventional spiral machine supply bobbins.